Brainstorming marketing ideas for cleaning company

[RSL]

Hi guys,

Currently doing a marketing plan for a client of mine:
Service - Professional Office Cleaners
Market - Small to medium sized businesses
Location - London and the home counties

We've already got a steady stream of enquiries but would love to build up our marketing base.

Any ideas and suggestions would be great.

Thanks

[gapgb]

It's a difficult question to answer when we dont know what you're doing already to get the steady stream of enquiries.

I've sent a few forum members a guide I wrote which covers many of the basics. I can send it to you for info if you drop me your email.

Any plan I write includes:

6 to 10 activities and I assume you have PR, website, referals, direct mail and advertising covered.

Office cleaning I would have thought would be targeted through maintenance companies for larger buildings. I've managed a few SME's and we had 2 direct cleaning links and 1 through a landlord.

I guess it will be a very competitive area so you will probably have to bombard the audience through every channel to get a decent response.

One thing that always annoyed my staff was the little cards one cleaning company used to leave saying please remove everything from your desk and we will clean it. Yes they all said, we'll put our £15k CAD station on the floor so you can wipe my desk.

If your client can create an image that they actually clean the offices well then you can perhaps build on referals.

[creacom]

When I worked in France we had this cleaning company who sent us out a free duster or cloth or something like that. It had something like this printed on it :

"Bored of cleaning up your own mess ? Try CleanSup blah blahh blahh..."

We called and from what I know so did a lot of other people !!

Jacqueline

[Whistle Ink]

I think referrals would be a good way to get customers - partly because there are some bad cleaners out there. Some don't bin the bin bag and just empty the contents out!!!!

Then some vaccum only where they can access. They don't move chairs to vaccum underneath the desks!!

I think these cleaners have to be REALLY enthusiastic and when customers come into contact with them, really make the customers feel that they care about keeping the office clean. The ones I have see don't really care about cleaning - it's just a job that pays.

Maybe give a free clean of an office perhaps?

Once you get a crap cleaner it ruins everything!!!!! :D :D

[Jayne]

Hi,

I like the duster idea :D

I have just had a great junk mail delivered. It's to advertise signing up to broadband. It contains a tea bag, sugar and a wooden stirer. I tells you to call this number then put your feet up and they do the rest. Excellent marketing.

If I hadn't already got broadband, think i'd ring this one :D

Jayne

[RSL]

Yes my client has a great website. We're building on referrals and advertising in directories.

I love the idea of the dusters...Thanks for that one!

[creacom]

No problem at all. Thats why I do the job that I do !!

Fell free to send me one if it ever comes about !!

Best of luck

Jacqueline

[Steve Roberts]

I would have thought that such a service would best be sold by telephone. If you call, say, 20 relevant prospects per day, then you'd probably genenerate, say, one enquiry. If you meet these prospects convert one in three, then you'll gain a new client every three days.

[billhilton]

Hire a couple of students - a lad and a lass. If you live near a university this should be easy. Just put an ad in the Student Union advertising for confident people who want to have a laugh and get paid £5/6 p.h. plus some free beer/Bacardi Breezers.

Make sure they're confident and attractive. Put them somewhere where they'll meet decisionmakers, like local conferences and networking events. Given them each (a) a stack of your flyers and (b) a feather duster. Tell them to find as many important-looking members of the opposite sex as they can, creep up on them from behins and tickle them behind the ear with the duster - then (having got their attention) describe your brand offer and hand over a flyer. Make sure they're wearing T shirts with your logo and contact details.

[Blade Printers]

I run a company that specialise in printing dusters for ad purposes. Please feel free to contact me for prices or samples.

Cheers John

[kate1]

Im not sure if dusters "bored of cleaning your own mess" unless you are trying to crack the domestic market. Your going to be pitching for business that will 90% already have cleaning contractors in place, I would suggest telesales, major objection you will come across will be loyalty issues. I will say this is a very competitive market and it isn't a breeze getting in doors. When I hear some of the prices that companies are being charged, I know alot of my clients just couldn't compete, OP, where are the steady stream of enquiries coming through their website?